KIRKUS REVIEW

A fictional imagining of the
childhood of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Due to scant historical evidence, very
little is known about Mary’s early life before her marriage to Joseph and the
birth of Jesus. Nickum (The Path,2014, etc.) attempts to creatively fill in these blanks, envisioning
what Mary’s early upbringing might have been like. Here, Mary is raised as an
only child because her older sister, Salome, was kidnapped by Samaritan rebels,
never to be seen again. Later, Mary is also abducted by a mysterious woman and
held in captivity for weeks before her eventual rescue. At an early age, she
demonstrates a natural curiosity and defiance, refusing to leave home to become
a Temple Virgin. She candidly challenges traditions and customs that often seem
designed to restrict women’s freedom. Mary’s parents decide she’s ready for
marriage at the age of 12, and despite her attraction for a boy relatively
close to her age, they choose Joseph, a much older man. Mary is horrified and
vehemently expresses her consternation, almost ruining the arrangement, which
turns out to be financially beneficial to her family. Mary becomes pregnant
only two months after her wedding—so soon that Joseph suspects that he might
not be the father. When a Roman visits Mary’s house on business and issues a
prediction, it later looks like prophecy: “You will have a son who will change
the world.” The book’s story begins prior to Mary’s birth and astutely depicts
the political context into which she was born. Galilee was under the brutal
rule of Herod, who was only notionally a Jew and expressed his pro-Roman
leanings in his fawning adoration of Caesar. Mary’s father, Joachim, was part
of a perilous rebellion meant to replace Herod with a less tyrannical, more
genuinely Jewish leader. Much of the value of the author’s dramatization is
precisely in vividly bringing to life this political and cultural context.
Nickum’s interpretation certainly departs from the biblical account—specifically,
the story as it’s told in the Gospel of Luke—and Mary conceives Jesus
naturally, not immaculately. This particular revision has significant
theological implications and seems like an omission that’s never directly
addressed. However, the story is still engaging as historical hypothesis and
successfully adds layers of depth and complexity to a figure whose formative
years remain obscure.

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